


Predatory Wasp

by lolnothanksfam



Category: Teenage Bounty Hunters (TV)
Genre: F/F, Heavy Angst, I actually have a whole plan ready for this one, apparently thats all I know how to write
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:01:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26369932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lolnothanksfam/pseuds/lolnothanksfam
Summary: It was an unspoken agreement that Sterling would not be going back to school on Monday. Not when the tape and zip ties wound tight around her wrists left unsettling purple bruises that her parents almost throw up at the sight of the next morning. Not when in the forty-eight hours since being abducted- since the truth was revealed- Sterling still hadn’t said a word to any member of her family.____Or: Sterling's life after the season finale has many ups and downs, but somewhere in the middle of it all she finds herself.Title from Sufjan Steven's 'The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!'
Relationships: April Stevens/Sterling Wesley, Blair Wesley & Sterling Wesley
Comments: 20
Kudos: 196





	Predatory Wasp

It was an unspoken agreement that Sterling would not be going back to school on Monday. Not when the tape and zip ties wound tight around her wrists left unsettling purple bruises that her parents almost throw up at the sight of next morning. Not when in the forty-eight hours since being abducted- since the truth was revealed- Sterling still hadn’t said a word to any member of her family. 

Shocked into silence. Bowser offered to drive the girls back, Blair in the front seat and Sterling laying across the back and staring at the dark ceiling of the car. They were talking to each other, sometimes directly to Sterling but all she could do is stare. The world around her felt like she was underwater, the sound of her own heartbeat beating against her skull.

Occasionally her eyes would drift and meet her sister’s through the side-view mirror. Blair seemed worried about her. Sterling could tell she was trying to speak to her through their shared connection, but even twin speak wasn’t working. Whatever telepathic connection they had once shared was gone. But then again, had it really ever been there to begin with?

Somehow she’d gotten from the car to her room, Sterling couldn’t quite remember how. It was like her brain was having trouble keeping up with time moving around her. Watching as her real mother was placed in handcuffs and led into the back of a cop car while her mom- no, her  _ aunt _ , sobbed into the arms of her husband had left some sort of tear in Sterling’s reality. Tears that should be shed but wouldn’t fall clung to her eyelashes as she floated into the five stages of grief. 

They say the first stage is denial, but for Sterling the first thing that hit her was the feeling of being cold as she staggered to the ground. The police had tried to question her but she couldn’t give anything useful. Blair had stuck to her side the whole time, filling in for her with bits of important information and continuing to say “She’s fine. She’s just exhausted.”

And it was true, as she lay in her bed that night. She was exhausted. Some time in the night Blair crawled in with her, wrapping her lithe arms around her waist and sniffling into her back. “I was so scared.” She tells her sadly, but Sterling still does not say a word. She falls asleep that night to Blair’s soft snores. 

No one forces her awake the next morning so she doesn’t stir until well into the afternoon the next day, when she opens her eyes there's a soggy bowl of cereal on her nightstand with a sticky note written in Blair’s handwriting. 

Sterling gets up to shower, but turning on the shower proves to be more difficult than it seems and when she exits the bathroom, Blair is there waiting for her. She’s nervous from the tell-tale way she wrings her hands and paces down the hallway. Sterling catches her hands and shakes her head in response, but she still doesn’t speak. 

Her wrists ache at even the slightest movement, so much so that feeding herself or even bathing is a challenge. Blair’s eyes find her wrists and she gasps, hands coming up to her mouth.

“Sterl I-” she chokes out. “Were you trying to shower?” Curse her for knowing her sister so well. 

“I’ll draw you a bath.” 

Blair helps her bathe herself which is mortifying but she leaves the bathroom feeling a little bit more like a human than she had before. 

That night her mom comes into her room to talk to her. Sterling had been sitting on her bed and reading a book. She didn’t have a new phone yet so instead she pulled out a book from her shelf to read. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. 

“Hey Pumpkin, I brought some pizza,” She begins tentatively. Sterling stops reading and turns her head. She still doesn’t speak but she does put the book down to listen. They stare awkwardly at each other. 

Her mom puts the plate next to her on the bed and moves to sit beside her. 

“Okay.. so.. You know you’ll always be my daughter right? When your father and I adopted you we promised we would tell you the truth once you were old enough but I was pregnant with Blair and you both happened to be born at the same time and it was just easier. Dana was going down a dark path, it was better for her not to be in your life. You understand why we did what we did right?”

A part of her does, but another part of her doesn’t. She nods anyway. “Your father and I have been thinking, maybe it's best if you stay home from church tomorrow. Y’know take a mental health day?” 

‘What so you won’t be embarrassed in front of your church friends?’ she thinks to herself selfishly.

“Right, well. I’ll be just downstairs if you need anything.” Her mom kisses her forehead before getting up to leave the room. “I love you.”

And so on Sunday, Sterling doesn’t go to church. She can’t help but feel slightly relieved by the idea of finally having the house to herself. Of having some time to think. She can hardly bring herself to change clothes each morning, so she doesn’t want to even think of how it might feel to see the people of her church in this state- or how it might feel to see April without being able to just burst into tears. 

Sterling makes sure to read out of her Bible and pray before they come back. After all, He’d done something amazing for her lately. It was only right.

Blair enters her room that afternoon and lays herself across her bed. 

“I forgive you.” Her sister begins once she’s made herself comfortable on her back. 

“I forgive you for not speaking to any of us, even if  _ some of us _ didn’t even know the truth until you did.” Give it up to her sister to be petty even through forgiveness, “I forgive you for leaving me all alone today at church, and I forgive you for not telling me that April’s dad got out of jail.” 

Sterling’s breathing stops.

“I’ve never seen April look so worried before. I guess the Grinch really did grow a heart.” Blair continues, voice only but a whisper. “Mom told her book club friends that you were sick but I heard her mention to Pastor Booth mental health problems. That woman is a walking gossip machine.”

Sterling’s lungs shake like she’s giving a small laugh. Blair leaves soon enough when she realizes she isn’t going to get a response.

She can’t go to school, can’t even bring herself to move when her mother comes in and asks her if she planned on getting up at all. This is the day Sterling wakes up angry, when she pouts and stews and wishes she could say so many things to her mother. So many things rightly deserved. She thinks of being sent to sleep outside after the college party, how far away that seemed now in the scheme of things. 

She thinks about how her whole life she’s been treated differently than Blair, held to this standard that just keeps getting raised. 

‘She’s always treated you like the other child while Blair gets to sit on her high pedestal.’ a particularly ugly voice tells her inside her mind.

The rest of the week she finds herself slamming doors and giving her family angry glares.

Blair comes in sometime after school on Friday also angry, barging into her room with a grand bang and moving into her line of view so Sterling has no choice but to look at her. “Hey you! Can you even hear me in there?!” She snarls angrily. 

“I’m fed up with this- this..  _ silent treatment _ you’re giving us. Me, Mom, Dad. Have you even  _ considered _ how we feel? I’ve been going to school every day without you for the first time in my life! We’ve never even been sick without the other before Sterl. And Ellen has been letting it slip to everyone that you're taking a mental health break, so every five minutes I have someone asking me how you are doing. Even your girlfriend- who has been all over Luke all week by the way, cornered me yesterday to ask how you are. That’s our cover story for you by the way- mental health days. Which is such bullshit because you’re absolutely fine! You just need to wake up like everyone else and get over yourself!” 

Sterling glares at her sister angrily but still says nothing. Blair storms out with a huff and another slam of the door. 

There’s silence for all of five minutes when her sister once again barges into her room and wraps her in a hug, “I’m so sorry,” Blair says, voice wavering. The emotions are high and it's just enough for Sterling to start sobbing as well, shoulders shaking with every breath. “I didn’t mean it,” Blair cries. Sterling spins in her arms so that they can cling to each other, her head finding Blair’s shoulder and staying there for the rest of the evening.

That next morning, Sterling manages to make it downstairs for breakfast, although she mostly picks at the food in front of her. She doesn’t speak, and the conversation is as stunted as it can be, her parents cautious to not mention the elephant in the room. For once, since the whole ordeal started Blair seems pleased, not evenly slightly perturbed by the lack of dialogue happening around her. 

Around the end of breakfast a new phone is placed in front of her, her parents are smiling like the object in front of her- the newest iphone, can win her over into speaking. “You have the same number and everything,” she catches her mom telling her. 

Sterling gives them a small smile as she goes to unlock her phone and finds an abundance of texts from various schoolmates- many she only knew in passing. True southern hospitality at it’s finest. There’s even a text from Miles. 

And there, at the beginning of all the texts, there is one from April. 

“You’ll be in my prayers.” Is all it says. Her bottom lip wavers at the sight, even though she knows she’s in full view of her family. Blair looks from her to her phone and clears her throat. 

“I took the liberty of taking that camera out for a spin- a boy when they say high definition they really mean it.” Sterling rolls her eyes at her sister.

That afternoon is spent on the porch watching her family finally clean out the shed in the backyard. Sterling isn’t asked to help, so she doesn’t. Little by little they start to find lost treasures from their childhood. Blair’s first lacrosse stick, her mother’s old gardening gloves, various old barbie princess jeeps, and a little red wagon that is just so familiar but Sterling can’t place it. 

“Say, isn’t this the wagon, the twins and that nice Stevens girl used to ride around on?” Her father asks her mother who is clutching a hand to her chest at the memory. 

“Awe, I think it is. Do you remember girls?” 

“I remember Sterl and I used to climb to the top of that really steep hill at the park and ride the wagon down the hill, but I don’t remember April being in it with us.”

Her mother nods, “Well, that makes sense. The poor thing was always awfully nervous without her parents around. But you three would definitely ride around in it. There’s probably a photo of it somewhere.”

Sterling approaches the little red wagon apprehensively, testing out the bed of the wagon for stability before she sits herself inside much like a cat sizing up a cardboard box. Something close to a memory, or at least the memory of a feeling, warms her chest and she smiles one of her golden retriever smiles. The blonde turns to her sister and holds out her phone, motioning for her to take her photo. 

“Wait! Blair, why don’t you get in and I’ll take a photo of both of you and your sister?”

Sterling posts the photo on her Instagram and for a moment everything feels right in the world. 

The next morning is a Sunday and Sterling actually gets up to go to church. Her bruises are yellow and green now and it only takes a touch of makeup to make it look like nothing had happened at all. She’s dressed in mute colors, a nice blue that brings out her eyes but is definitely less put together than what she normally wears. Avoiding having to speak becomes easy once Blair plays along and answers questions for her and pretends to talk over her. 

When they finally make their way inside Sterling feels like she can actually do this, like she can get away without speaking. Like she can manage to draw less attention to her family than there already is.

Luke gives her a hopeful glance from across the room that she tries to mimic but fails. 

“Want me to beat him up?” Blair asks from beside her, pretending to square up her fists. Sterling rolls her eyes and shakes her head. Her family sits down at the edge of the pew, her dad and sister both flanking her. 

“Let's move to the next row up honey,”

“Y-Yes Daddy.” 

Sterling turns her head to find the Stevens family sliding into the row behind them, April sitting directly behind her.

April looks so nervous as she sits down, her movements unsure as she meets Sterling's gaze. Sterling makes a strangled noise in the back of her throat that attracts the attention of her sister. Blair slips her hand into Sterling’s with a practiced ease. “It’s going to be okay, just don’t look at her.” she whispers to her sister, although her tone implies she doesn’t even truly believe it will all be fine.

“Welcome back Sterling,” April greets cautiously and she can’t help but glance at her. Sterling’s brow furrows. Their parents greet each other with polite nods and a few pleasantries are exchanged but all Sterling can do is look at April and feel the heat of her gaze. 

Sterling opens her mouth to say something but closes her mouth soon after and gives her a nod.

“I see some new faces in the crowd today.” Pastor Booth begins, looking around the crowd. “I see some old faces too, I even see some returning faces. Isn’t that just great? That all these people from all walks of life can come together to celebrate their Lord?” 

“Some of you are in your last years of school, maybe some of you are starting new jobs, or have moved to a new home. New beginnings can sometimes be scary-” 

Sterling tries to listen, she really does, but where she once felt freedom and liberation by being in church was now replaced by the warmth of April’s gaze on the back of her head, Blair’s cool hand, and the ghost of her name in the whispers around her. 

She felt exposed, mind racing. She chances a glance over her shoulder but instead of April’s intense gaze she’s first met with Mr. Stevens. Sterling quickly turns back. Do either of them know they’re both staring at her? 

She feels suffocated, her lungs constricting inside her chest until she can’t possibly breathe. 

“I..” She chokes out to Blair who gasps in shock. 

_ “I can’t do this.”  _

**Author's Note:**

> Hey There! 
> 
> I'd started TBH as something to listen to while doing homework. Six hours later I'd finished the series and had spent less time actually doing homework than I had watched the series. All of the actors they've chosen portray their roles so well and honestly its really cool seeing a show set in a type of world I actually grew up in. The Southeast really is all the stereotypes TBH explored but on steroids. 
> 
> Speaking of which, DISCLAIMER:
> 
> This Author has NEVER been to church in her life so I don't really know how it works? If you have any pointers please lmk lololol
> 
> As always, my tumblr is lolnothanksfam and I usually respond to comments pretty quickly!


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